Door holding devices



May 30, 1961 E. l.. ALLEN ETAL 2,985,908

DOOR HOLDING DEVICES May so, 1961 E. LALLEN Em 2,985,908

DOOR HOLDING DEVICES Filed April 3, 1958 l2 Shee'lLS-Sheel'l 2 INVENTORS[aw/N AL EN BY Awa-fw Rafe-VITO May 30, 1961 E. L. ALLEN ET AL DoonHOLDING DEVICES l2 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 5. 1958 May 30, 1961 E.l.. ALLEN ETAL 2,985,908

DooR HOLDING DEVICES Filed April 3. 1958 12 Sheets-Sheet 4 a L6 m N H 1Qa9 andi) 079A?d e k (aM/9 and Q t v D '\J N D 2 N g C m g 5oz lu s i) \Ii t a x INVENTOR5 TO FRONT 0F CAR x Arron/v ys May 30, 1961 E. L. ALLENETAL 2,985,908

DOOR HOLDING DEVICES Filed April 3. 1958 12 Sheets-Sheet 5 (conm/rf aan)INVENTORS bw/N Aue/v To FRo/vroF CAR ccwrncro/v RAMP May 30, 1961 E.ALLEN ETAL 2,985,908

DooR HOLDING DEVICES Filed April 5, 1958 l2 Sheets-Sheet 6 HIGH CGR/VERLINE CONTAC 7' aF caws-77p Feuer/ER w/r/v FLA r-ALANE RA MP SURFACEmLowsP Ar ooo/a /l/ PATH 0F LINE Z/RFACE LINE CoNrncroF con: -r/PFoL/.owen w/rI aar-Lela INVENTORS me mv RAMP .fw/ bw/,v Aule/'N Awaao Ede /ro fouowe/a Aram@ 'cb/"r 8 BY AXIS May 30, 1961 E. L.. ALLEN ET AL2,985,908

DooR HOLDING DEVICES Filed April s, 195s 12 sheets-sheet 'I INVENTORSbw/N l. Aue-N A/Gao a/e V/ro May 30, 1961 E. L. ALLEN ET AL 2,985,908

nooR HOLDING DEVICES Filed April 5, 195e 12 sheets-sheet 1o INVENTORS'ow//v l. AMEN l May 3o, 1961 E. L.. ALLEN ErAL 2,985,908

DooR HOLDING DEVICES 12 sheets-sheet 11 Filed April 5. 1958 IlV//M-f ihl f up HG- 26 Y ANGE-o E drV/ro BMJ May 30, 1961 E. L. ALLEN ETAL2,985,908

DOOR HOLDING DEVICES Filed April 3, 1958 l2 Sheets-Sheet 12 UnitedStates Patent O M DOOR HOLDING DEVICES Edwin L. Allen and Angelo R. deVito, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignors to Lisle W. Menzimer, Rockford,lll., trustee 'Filed Apr. :3, 1958, Ser. No. 726,235

13 Claims. (Cl. 16-141) This invention relates to a holding device for aswingable door and by which an automobile door or the like can becontrolled or held with respect to the swinging movement thereof toeliminate the annoying tendency of such a door to swing shut when it isdesired that the door remain open.

The tendency for an automobile door to swing shut is frequently theresult of, or iniluenced by, an inclined is left standing, withoutpreventing a relatively free manual movement of the door to any otherdesired position.

As one of its objects the present invention accordingly provides, in anautomobile or the like, a novel door holding means of a simple andpractical form comprising co-operating ramp means and follower means andwhich is effective to hold a substantially vertically hinged door in anyopen position in which it is left standing, without preventing arelatively free manual movement of the door to any other of itspositions.

Another object is to provide such a co-operating ramp and follower typeof holding means for use with an automobile door or the like having aninclined hinge axis and a normal tendency to fall shut, and in whichrelative sliding between the ramp means and follower means is in anuphill direction during the closing movement of the door for resistingthe tendency to fall shut.

Still another object is to provide door holding means of theabove-indicated ramp and follower type and where- Patented May 30, 1961ICC vides such a ramp and follower type of holding means for avertically hinged door and wherein spring means, preferably a preloadedspring means, presses the follower means against the ramp means and thesloped condition of the latter is such that a loading flexure of thespring means opposes the closing movement of the door and an unloadingilexure assists the opening movement of the door.

It is also an object of this invention to provide novel ramp typeholding means for use with an automobile door supported by asubstantially vertical-axis hinge means and having a gravity movementalong such axis, and wherein the follower means is pressed against theramp means by the force of the gravity action, or by the combined forceof the gravity action and a preloaded spring means.

Additionally, this invention provides a novel ramp and follower type ofholding means for a door supported by hinge means comprising a hingebracket connected with a support structure and a hinge ann connectedwith the door, and wherein the ramp means is located on the hingebracket and the follower means is located on the hinge arm.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent in thefollowing detailed description and in the accompanying sheets ofdrawings forming a part of this specification and in which,

Fig. l is a partial side elevation of an automobile body having the doorholding means of the present invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a partial transverse horizontal section taken on section line2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing the door holding means on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a partial transverse section similar to that of Fi g. 2 butshowing the door in an open position;

Fig. 4 is a partial vertical section taken on section line 4-4 of Fig. 2andshowing the door-closed condition of the holding means;

Fig. 5 is another partial vertical section taken on section line 5-5 ofFig. 3 and showing the door-open condition of the holding means;

Fig. 6 is a diagram graphicallyV illustrating various design andfunctional characteristics of the door holding means;` Y

Fig. 7 is a perspective-view diagram illustrating certain Ycharacteristics of the ramp member;

in the portion of the ramp means which is slidably en- Y gaged by thefollower means is a flat-plane thrust surface obtainable without needfor intricate and costly machining procedures and can be variably slopedin accordance with the holding power needed for various differentautomobile doors.

Yet another object is to provide a novel ramp and follower type ofholding device for automobile door use in which one of the tno-operatingram-p and follower members, preferably the ramp member, has anonmetallic or plastic thrust means slidably engaged by a metal contactportion on the other member for smoothness and quietness of operation,and wherein the sliding engagement comprises at least a line contactbetween the members.

The present invention also provides such a ramp type holding device foruse with an automobile door swingably connected with a support structureby va substantially vertical-axis hingemeans and wherein the hinge axisand the co-operating ramp and follower members are located in a recessof the support structure.

Figs. 8 and 9 are perspective-view diagrams similar to that of Fig. 7but showing different conditionsof slope for the ramp member;

Fig. 10 is a plan-view diagram of the ramp member and showing the pathof follower contact with the ramp for the ramp slope illustrated in Fig.7;

As a further object thereof, this inventionv also proy Figs. ll and l2are similar plan-view diagrams showing the path of follower contact withthe ramp for the ram-p slopes illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9;

Figs. 13 and 14 Yare diagrams showing the development length and truegradient characteristics of the follower paths of Figs. 11 and l2;

Fig. 15 is a partial transverse section similar to tha of Fig. 3 butshowing a first modified form of door holding means; l v

Fig. 16 is a partial vertical section taken as indicated by section line16-16 of Fig. 15 and showing the condi-V tion of the rst modifiedholding means when the door is in the closed position; y Figs. 17 and 18are partial plan views showing the modified holding means of Fig. 15removed from the vehicle body for clearer illustration, Fig. 17 showingthe door-closed condition of the holding means and Fig. =18 showing thedoor-open condition thereof;

`I' Figs. 19 and 20 areverticalV sectional views taken re-y Y 3spectively on section lines 19-19 annd 20-20 of Figs. 17 and 18;

Figs. 21 and 22 are vertical sectional views similar to those of Figs.17 `and 18 but showing a second modified form of door holding means;

Fig. 23 is a transverse horizontal section taken substantially asindicated by section line 23-23 of Fig. 24 and showing a third modifiedform of door holding means;

Fig. 24 is a partial vertical section taken on section line 24--24 ofFig. 23 and further illustrating such third modified form of doorholding means;

Fig. 25 is a partial vertical section taken on section line 25-25 ofFig. 23 and showing the condition of the holding means for thedoor-closed position;

Fig. 26 is a partial vertical section similar to that of Fig. 25 butshowing the door-open condition of the holding means;

Figs. 27 and 28 are plan views, with portions in section, showing thedoor holding means of Figs. 23 to 26 removed from the vehicle body forclearer illustration, Fig. 27 showing the door-closed condition of theholding means and Fig. 28 showing the door-open condition thereof;

Figs. 29 and 30 are vertical sections taken respectively on sectionlines 29-29 and 30-30 of Figs. 27 and 28;

Fig. 31 is a fragmentary vertical section taken through a portion of thethird modified door holding means as indicated by section line 31-31 ofFig. 23; and

Figs. 32 and 33 are vertical sectional views similar to those of Figs.29 and 30 but showing a fourth modified form of door holding means.

Proceeding now with a more detailed description of the door holdingmeans of this invention and the application thereof to an automobile orthe like, Figs. l to 5 inclusive of the drawings show a preferredembodiment of such a door holding means or device `associated with doorand door support structures 11 and 12 of an automobile body 13. The door11 is swingable on a substantially vertical hinge axis provided by thehinge pins 14 of a pair of vertically spaced hinges 15 and 16 andcomprises a hollow structure having spaced outer and inner side walls 17and 18 and a hinge anchorage means 19 located in the chamber or space 20between such Walls. The door 11 also includes an upright edge wall 21which faces toward the support structure 12 when the door is in itsclosed position as shown in Figs. l and 2.

The door support structure 12 is formed by an upright portion of theautomobile body 13 comprising outer and inner side walls 23 and 24spaced apart to provide a chamber or recess 25 between the planes ofsuch outer and inner side walls, and an upright anchorage wall 26extending between the side Walls and facing rearwardly toward the dooropening. The support structure 12 may also include an upright edge wall27 spaced rearwardly from the upright anchorage wall 26 and with respectto` which the upright edge wall 21 of the door 11 occupies an opposedposition when the door is in its closed condition. The upright edge wall27 can be omitted from the support structure but, when used, is providedwith suitable clearance .openings 28 therein for the hinges and 16.

'Ihe design of the automobile body 13 is here shown as beingsuch thatthe hinge pins of the hinges 15 and 16 provide an upright hinge axis 30for the door 11 which is inclined from the vertical and the direction ofthe inclination is usually such that the door has a normal tendency tofall shut whenit has been manually swung to an open position andreleased by the operator.` The holding device 10 of the'presentinventioncounteracts this tendency of the door to fall shut and, asexplained in greater detail hereinafter, provides a substantiallybalanced condition for the door such that the..doorrwill be held in anyopen position to which it has been nioved but will nevertheless bereadily movable to any other of its positions to which the operator maywish to move it.

The holding device 10 of the present invention comprises co-operatingramp and follower members 32 and 33 which are associated with the doorand door support structures 11 and 12, and which produce the doorholding function mentioned just above. In the door holding device 10 asherein disclosed, the ramp member 32 is associated with the door supportstructure 12 and the follower member 33 is associated with the door 11.The holding device 10 is also disclosed herein as being associated withthe hinge means of the door 11, in this case the upper hinge 15 thereof.In the embodiment of the door holding device 10 herein disclosed, theramp memher 32 is associated with the portion of the hinge 15 which isattached to the door support structure 12 and the follower member 33 isassociated with the portion of the hinge which is attached to the door11.

The hinge 15 comprises a hinge bracket 35 mounted on the door supportstructure 12, and a hinge arm 36 attached to the door 11 and pivotallyconnected with the hinge bracket by the hinge pin 14. The hinge bracket35 is here shown as being a die-formed metal member, preferably astamped sheet metal member, having upper and lower flanges 37 and 38 andan upright attaching wall 39 connecting such flanges and providing forattachment of the bracket to the anchorage wall 26 by suitably locatedscrews 40. The bracket 35 also cornprises a formed knee portion 42 on,or adjacent to, the flange 38 and forming a pivot anchorage for thelower end of the hinge'pin 14.

The hinge arm 36 is here shown as being a die-formed metal member,preferably a stamped sheet metal member, having the form of achannel-shaped bell crank lever. More specifically, the hinge arm 36comprises upper and lower longitudinal flanges 44 and `45 forming thesides of a longitudinal channel recess 46, and an upright wall or web 47connecting the flanges and forming the back wall of the channel recess.At the front end thereof, the hinge arm is provided with an eye portion48 which is received between the upper flange 37 and the knee portion 42of the bracket 35 and is pivoted on the hinge pin 14. The rear end ofthe hinge arm 36 projects from the door support structure 12 and intothe chamber 20 of the door 11, and has the door mounted thereon bysuitable attaching screws 49 which connect the anchorage means 19 withthe hinge arm.

'Ihe ramp member 32 of the door holding device 10 is here shownas formedby the lower flange 38 of the hinge bracket 35, and the follower member33 is here shown as being in the form of a plunger having a guidedmovement in guide means provided on the hinge arm 36. In utilizing thelower flange 38 of the hinge bracket as the ramp member, this flange iscanted or inclined from a horizontal plane to the relatively tiltedposition shown in Fig. 4, so thatl the ramp member 32 will slope in anuphill direction for movement of the follower member 33 therealong in adirection toward the center line of the automobile body 13 which is thedirection of the closing movement of the door 11.

The angle of tilt of the ramp member 32 can be any suitable value and isselected to be appropriate for the requirements of the vehicleV door inquestion, particularly with respect to the weight of the door and thedirection and extent of inclination of the hinge axis. In the doorholding device 10 shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the ramp member 32 istilted or sloped in one direction only, and can therefore having aflat-plane thrust surface or element 51 on the top thereof forcooperation with the follower member 33.

The sliding engagement of the follower member 33 with the ramp member 32can be a sliding engagement directly with the flat-plate thrust surfaceofthe flange 38 but, in accordance -with the present invention, thethrust element or surface 51 comprises a nonmetallic member ade-of asuitable plastic material, such as nylon, and is preferably in the formof a substantially uniform-thickness layer of such plastic materialwhich is secured to the ramp member and preferably has substantially thesame tilt and at-plane thrust surface characteristic. The thrust element51 is here shown as being of a curved or kidneylike shape in planoutline. By the use of the plastic thrust element 51 on the ramp member32, the sliding engagement of the follower member thereon will have adesired uniform friction coefcient and will provide for a smooth andquiet functioning of the door holding device with minimum abrasion orwear on the ramp member.

The plastic thrust element 51 is Iflexible and resilient in character,rather than hard or brittle, and is sufficiently yieldable and pliable`to be indented somewhat by the follower member 33 when the latter is ina rest position. This indentation by the follower member is temporaryonly, inasmuch as the resilient character of the plastic causes thethrust element 51 to restore itself to a smooth and dat conditionpromptly after the follower member is moved away from such a restposition. The temporary indentation thereof causes the plastic thrustmember 51 to provide a factor of additional resistance to movement ofthe follower member away from a rest position and this added resistancefactor contributes to the effectiveness of the holding device in holdingthe door 11 in any open position to which it is moved and left standing.

The plastic thrust element 51 can be secured on the ramp member 32 as bycementing, bonding, riveting or any other suitable attaching medium, butis here shown as being secured to the ramp member by rivets 52 which areformed by upset integral portions of the thrust element itself and whichextend through the ramp member and have their upset heads in holdingengagement with the underside of the latter, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The follower member 33 is here shown as being a movable plungercomprising a stem S4 and a head 55 mounted on, or formed integral with,the -lower end of the stem. The follower member 33 is guidedly supportedby the anges 44 and 45 of the hinge arm 36 by having its stern and headportions slidable in guide openings 56 and 57 provided in such flanges.The portion of the follower member which is in sliding engagement withthe ramp member 32, or with the thrust element 51 thereof, can be of anydesired shape suitable for the most satisfactory co-operation with theramp member, but when the ramp member has the above-described flat-planecharacteristic, the engaging portion of the follower member ispreferably a cone-shaped contact portion 59 on the head 55 and whichcone-shaped contact portion will always provide substantially a linecontact engagement with the flat-plane surface of the thrust element.

The door holding device 10 also includes a spring means, preferably apreloaded spring means, which is effective on the follower member 33 forpressing the same against the ramp member 32 and which spring means ishere shown as being a coil spring 60 disposed in surrounding relation tothe stem 54. The upper end Iof the spring 60 is seated against theunderside of the upper ange 44 of the hinge arm, and the lower end ofthe spring is seated against an annular shoulder 61 provided by theexposed portion of the upper end of the head 55. The holding device 10preferably also includes a thrust washer 63 made of nylon or the Ilikeand interposed between the upper anges 37 and 44 of the hinge bracketand hinge arm. The washer 63 carries the thrust reaction resulting fromthe expansive action of the spring 60, and from the cooperation of thefollower member 33 with the ramp member 32, and contributes to a smoothand quiet `functioning of the holding device.

From the construction and functioning of the door holding device 10 asabove described, it will now be understood that during the swinging ofthe door 11 about the axis of the hinge pin 14, the follower member 33will slide On the thrust'element 541 of the ramp member 32 and the linecontact of the follower member will follow or scribe an arcuate path 64on the thrust element having the truncated crescent shape shown in Figs.2V and 3 of the drawings. It will likewise be seen that, during theclosing movement of the door 11, the follower member 33 will have anarcuate fuphill sliding movement on the ramp member and that suchsliding movement will be resisted by the uphill slope, by the 4frictionbetween the ramp and follower members, and by the preloaded conditionyand loading flexure of the spring 60. These resistance factors for theclosing swinging movement of the door will provide a substantiallybalanced condition for the door which will overcome the tendency of thedoor to fall shut and will cause the door to be held in any openposition to which it is moved and left standing. Notwithstanding thisbalanced condition of the door, it will still be readily movable to anyother desired position by a mere pushing vforce or shove manuallyapplied to the door.

It will also be seen that during the opening movement of the door, thefollower member 33 will have a downhill sliding movement on the rampmember 32 and the spring 60 will be subjected to an unloading flexure.This downhill movement of the follower member and the thrust action andunloading ilexure of the spring 60 will constitute assisting factorstending to assist the opening movement of the door.

In addition to the characteristics and advantages already describedabove for the door holding device 10, the present invention alsoachieves other important advantages by reason of the novel design of theholding device which renders the same highly Ilexible in the sense thatit is readily adaptable to the doors of a wide variety of differentvehicles. This is achieved by varying the slope or tilt ofthe rampmember and can be accomplished without departing from theabove-mentioned Iflat-plane surface characteristic of the ramp member 32and thrust element 51. This Hat-plane surface characteristic is highlydesirable from the standpoint that it can be economically producedeither on the hinge bracketV 35 or, if desired, on a part to be attachedto the door support structure 12 adjacent the hinge bracket, withoutintricate machining or forming operations of the kind which would beneeded if the ramp gember were provided with a curved thrust surface ofany To facilitate the explanation of the variable door holding actionobtainable from the holding device 10, reference will now be made to thediagrams shown in Figs.l 6 to 14 inclusive. The diagram of Fig. 6graphically illustrates the design characteristics and functioning ofthe door holding means 10 by showing in the diagram portion 65 a planview of the ramp member 32 with an arc 66 thereon representing thearcuate swinging movement of the door 11 and radial lines 67 emanatingfrom the hinge pin axis 30 and representing angular increments of doorswinging movement. The arcuate line 68 represents the path of thefollower member 33 on the ramp member 32 and extends from a door-openfollower position 69 to a door-closed follower position 70.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings and as represented in thediagram of Fig. 6, the ramp member 32 has its high side or edge 72disposed toward the'ce'nvter line of the car or vehicle and its low sideor edge 73 disposed toward the outside of the vehicle. With the diagramof Fig. 6 representing a holding means applied to the left-hand door ofthe vehicle, it willV accordingly be seen that opening movement of thedoor 11 and the downhill sliding travel of the follower member on theramp member, produce a relative sliding movement of the ramp memberalong the arcuate path 68 in a direction of travel from the followerposition 70` to the follower position y69, and that closing movement ofthe door produces a relative' slidingV movement of the follower memberon the ramp member in the opposite or uphill direction along the arcuatepath 68. I

It will also be understood from the diagram of Fig. 6

7 that the portion 68a of the follower path adjacent the door-openposition 69 follows a direction which extends more transversely of thevehicle than it does longitudinally thereof, whereas the path portion68b adjacent the doorclosed position 70 of the follower member extendsmore longitudinally of the vehicle than it does transversely thereof.This is important in connection with the door holding force which it isdesired to have the holding device 10 develop during the operationthereof for the corresponding portions of the closing movement of thedoor, as will be further explained hereinafter.

The diagram portion 74 of Fig. .6 includes an inclined line 75 whichrepresents a true projection of the follower path 68 and shows theflat-plane surface characteristic of the thrust element 51 of the rampmember throughout the full path of arcuate sliding travel of thefollower member lthereon. The lines 67a are projection lines by whichthe location points establishing the slope of the line 75 are plotted.

The diagram portion 76 of Fig. 6 includes a curve 77 which is adevelopment of the follower path 68 and represents the true gradient orslope variation of the thrust surface of the ramp member 32. The portion77a of the curve 77 represents the relatively steep slope of the endportion 68El of the ramp path which is nearest the door-open followerposition 69 and the portion 77D illustrates more gradual or relativelyatter slope of the portion 68b of the ramp path which is nearest -thedoorclosed follower position 70. The significance of these realtivelysteep and relatively dat slope portions 77a and 77b of the curve 77 isvery important and illustrates the characteristic of the holding device10 by which a desired holding action or power is obtainable inaccordance with the particular desire of any given automobilemanufacturer.

Thus, the relatively steeper curve portion 77a represents the slope ofthe portion 68a of the follower path which is being traversed by thefollower member 33 when the door 11 is moving in the closing directionfrom its full-open position. This movement of the follower member alongthis relatively steeper portion of the follower path will result in thedevelopment by the holding device of a more powerful or maximum holdingforce and, as the door approaches its closed position, the followermember will be moving along the portion 68h of the path which has therelatively flatter slope represented by the curve portion 77b and theholding power developed by the device will be of a lower or minimumvalue. This relatively lower holding power during the final portion ofthe door closing movement will readily permit the door to move to itsfully-closed and latched condition without likelihood of the doorremaining in its partially-latched or safety-latched position.

The diagram of Fig. 10 is similar to and supplements the diagram portion65 of Fig. 6 and is further descriptive of the functioning of the doorholding device 10 by showing the area of the ramp surface traversed bythe line contact of the follower member 33 therewith as acrescent-shaped area 80 corresponding with the crescentshaped path 64 ofFig. 3. When the follower member 33 has the cone-shaped contact portion59 mentioned above, the line contact of the cone shape with theflatplane tilted surface of the ramp member 32 will assume the variousdifferent positions represented by the lines 81 of the crescent-shapedarea 80. It will accordingly be seen that the follower member has asubstantial area of contact with the thrust element 51 of the rampmember 32 and that the thrust will be distributed over a substanial areaof the ramp member as represented by the crescent-shaped diagram portion80, with the result that 4the sliding engagement of the ramp member onthe follower member will be smooth and quiet with no tendency of thefollower member to chatter or to abrade or dig into the thrust surfaceof the ramp member.

The sloped character of the flat-plane thrust surface or element 51 ofthe ramp member 32 is further illustrated in the perspective-viewdiagram of Fig. 7 wherein the follower member is represented as a wedge32I and the arcuate path of the follower member on the thrust element isrepresented by a broken-line curve 83. The diagram of Fig. 7 also showsthe tilt of the hat-plane thrust surface of the ramp member 32 which isobtained by having the high side or edge 72 of the ramp member disposedtoward the center line of the car or vehicle. The shape and position ofthe curve 83 also illustrates the varying gradient of the follower pathand portrays the above-explained relatively steep gradient representedby the curve portion 83a corresponding with the closing swingingmovement of the door away from the dooropen follower position 84 and therelatively flatter portion of the follower path represented by the curveportion 83b and corresponding with the portion of the follower movementon the ramp surface when the door is approaching the door-closedposition 85 of the follower member.

The diagram of Fig. 8 shows how the holding force developed by theholding device 10 can be varied to suit the desire of another automobilemanufacturer, or to suit the requirements of a door of a differentvehicle, by using a different slope position for the ramp member 32 andwithout departing from the single-slope flat-plane surfacecharacteristic of the thrust surface of the ramp member. Thus Fig. 8portrays the ramp member 32 in the form of a wedge 32b and shows that,when the high side or edge 87 of the ramp member is disposed toward thefront or hinge axis of the vehicle, the path of the follower member onthe thrust surface of the ramp member will have a different slopecharacteristic and will result in a different holding power beingdeveloped by the device for the door.

The path of the follower member 33 is represented in Fig. 8 by thebroken-line curve 88 and the door-open and door-closed positions of thefollower member are represented by the points 89 and 90 at the ends ofthis curve. It will now also be apparent from Fig. 8, that for thepositioning or orientation of the ramp slope as represented therein, theend portion 88a of the follower path nearest the door-open followerposition 89 and which extends more transversely than longitudinally ofthe vehicle is the relatively flatter portion of the path, whereas theend portion 88b nearest the door-closed follower position 90 and whichextends more longitudinally than transversely of the vehicle is therelatively steeper portion of the path.

Figs. 11 and 13 show diagrams 92 and 93 which further explain andsupplement the diagram of Fig. 8 and the co-operation of the followermember 33 with a ramp member 32 having its high side or edge 87 disposedtoward the front of the car or vehicle. The diagram 92 of Fig. 11 is aplan-view diagram of the ramp member 32 when the latter has the slopedisposition illustrated in Fig. 8 and shows the crescent-shaped area 94of the line contact of the cone tip 59 follower member with theflat-plane thrust element 51 of the ramp member.

The curve 95 of Fig. 13 is a development of the follower path 88 and 94of Figs. 8 and 11 and is also a true gradient curve showing the variableslope characteristic of the follower path. From the shape of the curve95 it will be seen that the curved portion 95' which is nearest thedoor-open position 89 of the follower member has the above-explainedrelatively flatter or more gradual slope, and the curve portion 95bwhich is nearest the door-closed position 90 of the follower member hasthe relatively steeper slope.

It will therefore be seen from the diagrams of Figs. 8, 11 and 13 thatwhen the ramp member 32 is disposed or oriented with the high side oredge 87 thereof disposed toward the front of the vehicle or car, thefollower member 33 will traverse the relatively flatter and relativelysteeper path portions corresponding with the portions 95 `and 95b of thegradient curve 95 as the door swings `from its full-open position towardits fully-closed position,

9 ecanse of the inclination of the hinge axis 30 and the gravity andinertia effects on the door 11 in association with such inclined hingeaxis, the tendency of the door to fall shut will cause a progressivelyincreased acceleration of the door as it moves toward its closedposition. When the ramp member 32 is disposed with its slope in theorientation represented in Figs. 8, 11 and 13, it compensates for thisincreased acceleration of the door as it approaches its closed positionby developing a relatively greater holding force when the followermember travels along the relatively steeper portion of its pathrepresented by the curve portion 95h. It will accordingly be seen thatwhen the ramp member has the orientation and sloped relation representedin Figs. =8, 11 and 13, this greater holding force will be developedwith increasing effectiveness as the door approaches its closed positionand will result in a controlled and balanced condition of the door whichwill prevent any dangerous or damaging slamming thereof as it reachesits fullyclosed position.

Figs. 9, 12 and 14 of the drawings further illustrate the variableholding action obtainable from the doorholding device and represent thecondition and functioning of the device when the ramp member 32 has itsslope disposed so that the high corner 99 of its tlatplane thrustsurface or element 51 is located in an intermediate positionapproximately halfway between the two positions of the high sides 72 and87 of the wedges 32a and 32b shown in Figs. 7 and 8. In the diagram 100of Fig. 9 this high-corner orientation of the ramp member 32 is shown ashaving been achieved by locating the wedge 32b in superposed relation onthe wedge 32a.

The ramp member 32 of Fig. 9 accordingly has a slope which can bereferred to as a composite slope but which still has the fiat-planethrust surface or element 51. The curve 101 represents the path of thefollower member 33 on the flat-plane thrust surface of the ramp member32 when the latter is disposed with the high corner 99 thereof in therelative position shown in Fig. 9 and extends from a door-open position102 of the follower member to a door-closed position 103.

Figs. l2 and 14 show diagrams 107 and 108 which supplement the diagram100 of Fig. 9 and further illustrate the characteristics of the followerpath and the functioning of the door-holding device when the thrustsurface of the ramp member has the high-corner orientation explainedabove. The crescent-shaped diagram portion 1019 of Fig. 12 representsthe area traversed by the line contact of the cone-shaped follower tip59 with the flat-plane thrust element 51 of the ramp member. The curve110 of Fig. 14 is a development of the follower path indicated at 101and 109 of Figs. 9 and 12 and represents the true gradient or slope ofthe thrust surface of the ramp member along the follower path.

It will be seen from Fig. 14 that the gradient curve 110 is asubstantially straight line and has approximately the same slope at allpoints therealong from the dooropen follower position 111 to thedoor-closed follower position 112. The uniform slope of the gradientcurve 110 signies that, for all portions of the slidingtravel of thefollower member along its path 101 and 109 of Figs. 9 and 12, a uniformholding force will be developed by the holding device and that such auniform holding force, if desired vby a particular automobilemanufacturer or if needed for a particular vehicle door, can be readilyachieved by the use of a ramp member disposed in the high-corner slopedrelation illustrated in Figs. 9 and 12.

The door holding means 10 preferably embodies check means for limitingthe opening movement 4of the door 11 when it arrives at its full-openposition shown in Fig. 3. This check means is here shown as comprisingastop 115 in the form of a strap carried by the hinge bracket 35 andlocated in a position to be engagedy by a portion of the hinge arm 36.The strap forming the stop 115 has flange portions 115a at the endsthereof which are secured, as by welding, in an overlying relation totheI.

410 anges 37 and 38A of the hinge bracket suchthatthe strap also servesas a reinforcing means for the hinge bracket.

Figs. 15 to 20 inclusive of the drawings show doorholding means ordevice 117 which is generally similar to the holding device 10 describedabove and wherein corresponding parts of the holding device andcorresponding parts of the door and door support structures aredesignated by the same reference characters. In the modified doorholding device i117 the hinge arm 118 is also of dieeformed constructionbut is in the form of a forging or the like instead of a sheet metalstamping. In this modified holding device, the guide means provided onthe hinge arm 118 for the follower member 33 is formed by a guideopening 119 in the lower portion of the arm and through which openingthe head portion 55 of the follower member extends and a guide opening120 provided in the upper end of a tubular cap or housing member 121 andthrough which the stem portion 54 of the follower member projects.

The hinge arm 11S is provided with a counterbore 122 and the tubularcover 121 has a threaded engagement 123 in the counterbore andco-operates with the latter in forming a spring chamber 124, As shown inFigs. 15, 17 and 18 the hinge arm 118 may be provided with anenlargement or` boss 118 in which the counterbore 122 is formed. Theupper flange 37 of the hinge bracket 35 is cut away, as shown in Figs.15 to 20, to provide clearance for the cover 121 and the stem 54 of thefollower member.

A preloaded spring is provided in the spring chamber 1.24 in the form ofa coil spring 125 disposed around the stem portion 54 of the followermember 33 and which spring presses the follower member against the rampmember 32. The lower end of the spring is seated against a shoulder 126provided on the follower member, and the upper end of the spring isseated against the transverse end wall of the cover member 121. Thethreaded connection 12f3 provides for adjustment of the position of thecover member 121 relative to the hinge arm 118 for varying thecompression loading of the spring 125.

The door holding device 117 preferably embodies a check means equivalentto the check means of the door holding means 10 and provided for thesame purpose. In the holding device 117, however, Ithe check means is inthe form of `a lug 127 on the hinge bracket 35 and which extends intothe path of movement of the hinge arm 118 and is engageable by a portionof the latter when the door 11 arrives at its full-open position. Thestop lug 127 is here shown as formed by an up-turned integnal portion ofthe lower flange 38 of the hinge bracket 35. The connection of the llug127 with the ilange 38 is reinforced by a corner web 127a provided by adeformed integral bracketV portion located at the junction of the lugwith the flange. Y

The modified door-holding device 117 functions in substantially the samemanner as the holding device 10 and the description and explanationgiven labove in connection with the diagrams of Figs. 6 to 14 inclusiveis equally applicable to this modied holding device. The `showing oftheholding device 117 in Figs. 15 to 2O inelusive is with the tiltedHat-plane thrust surface or element of the ramp member 32 disposed inthe sloped relation represented by the diagrams of Figs.V 8, 11 and 13.

In other words, the ramp member of the holding device Y 117 is in asloped position with the high side or edge 87 thereof disposed towardthe front of the vehicle or car as indicated in Figs. 8 and 1l and theslope gradient of the path of sliding contact of the follower member 33on the ramp member 32 correspondsV with the slope variation representedby the gradient curve 95 of Fig. 13.

In the door holding device 117, the ramp member 32 is falso providedwith a plastic thrust element 128 of nylon or the like and similar tothe thrust element 51 described above for the holding device 10. Thethrust element 128 is'here shown as being securedin place on 11 thebracket flange 38 by fastening elements or rivets 129 which extendthrough the thrust element and its support flange. Spacer and :thrustwashers 63 of nylon or the like are interposed between both edges of thehinge arm 118 and the flanges 37 and 38 of the hinge bracket 35.

When the plastic thrust element is secured on the bracket ange 38 byfastening elements or rivets formed integral with the thrust element, asin the case of the rivets `52 of the thrust element 51 of Figs. 1 to 5inclusive, the thrust element can be of a relatively narrower width.This is an advantage for the holding device because a smaller hingebracket can be used and will be more readily accommodated in the limitedspace available in the door support structure 12.

Figs. 21 and 22 of the drawings show a door holding means or device 130which is quite similar to the door holding device 117 described abovebut differs therefrom in that the ramp member 131 is sloped or tilted intwo directions, that is to say has a composite slope. The ramp member131 is otherwise similar to the ramp member 32 described above for theholding device 117 in that it also has a plastic thrust element 128thereon providing a ilat-plane thrust surface slidably engaged by thefollower member 33. The composite slope of the ramp member 131corresponds with the composite slope illustrated in the diagram of Fig.9, and is obtained by having the flange 38 of the hinge bracket 35disposed in the desired tilted or angular relation. Parts of the holdingdevice 130 which are the same as corresponding parts in the holdingdevices 10 and 117 have been designated by the same referencecharacters.

-The characteristics of the co-operating ramp and follower members 131and 33, and the functioning of this holding device 130, correspond withthe characteristics land functioning illustrated in the diagrams ofFigs. 12 and 14. The path of the sliding movement of the follower member33 on the ramp member 131 is represented by diagram portions 101 and 109of Figs. 9 and l2. The uniform slope gradient of the path of thefollower member 33 is represented by a substantially straight-linesubstantially uniform-slope gradient curve 110 of Fig. 14.

The holding device i130 is here shown as having its follower member 33mounted in the same manner, and on a hinge arm 118 of the same form, asthe follower member of the holding device 117 described above. Alug-type stop 127 is also provided on the hinge bracket 35 as a checkmeans.

Figs. 23 to 3l inclusive show another modified door holding means ordevice 135 which is generally simi-lar to the door-holding devices 10and 117 described above but dilers therefrom in that the follower member136 is substantially fixed lon the hinge arm 137 and is pressed againstthe flat-plane plastic thrust element 128 of the sloped ramp member 139solely by the gravity action and movement of the hinge arm and theswingable door 141 connected therewith.

The door support structure 143 is similar to the door support structure12 described above and the door 141 is swingably connected therewith bythe hinge arm 137 and an associated hinge bracket 144 which is of asomewhat different form than the above-described hinge bracket 35. Thehinge bracket 144 has upper and lower anges 145 `and 146 which areprovided with attaching lugs 1452' and 146B, and the ramp member 139 isformed by a portion of the lower flange andis of the same sloped andflat-plane characteristic as the ramp member 32.

To provide for the above-mentioned gravity movement of the door-carryinghinge arm 137, the flanges 145 and 146 of the hinge bracket 144 arespaced apart a distance somewhat greater than the width of the hingearm, as shown in Figs. 24, 25 and 26, and the eye portion 137- of thehinge =arm which is pivoted on the hinge pin 148 of the bracket issiidable along the hinge pin during the opening and closing movements ofthe door. The follower member 136 can be mounted on the hinge arm in themanner shown in Fig. 3l as by having a stem portion 136a inserted intoan opening or socket 149 provided in the lower edge of the hinge arm.

Figs. 24, 25, 27 and 29 of the drawings show the holding device 135 inthe condition corresponding with the closed position of the door 141, atwhich time the follower member 136 is at the uphill end of its path ofsliding movement on the ramp member 139 and the hinge arm 137 is in arelatively lifted position on the hinge pin 148. Figs. 26, 28 and 30show the condition of the holding device 135 when the door 141 is in itsfull-open position, at which time the follower member 136 is at thedownhill end of its path of sliding movement on the ramp member 139 andthe hinge arm 137 has been slidably moved downwardly on the hinge pin148 by the gravity action of the hinge arm and door.

The door holding device 135 embodies check means for limiting themovement of the door 141 when it arrives yat its full-open position.This check means is here shown as being a stop member in the form of astrap 151 connected to lug projections 152 and 153 of the hinge bracket144.

The door holding device 135 functions in a generally similar manner andaccomplishes the same purposes as the above-described door holdingdevices 10 and 117 with the exception that the thrust load of thefollower member 136 against the ramp member 139 is supplied solely bythe gravity action of the door and hinge arm. The diagrams of Figs. 6 to14 inclusive are equally applicable to the door holding device 135 inillustrating and explaining the characteristics of the co-operating rampand follower members and the functional performance of this holdingdevice. The ramp member 139 of Figs. 23 to 30 inclusive has the slopedposition represented by the diagrams of Figs. 8, 11 and 13, and thediagrams of these views illustrate the slope and contact areacharacteristics of the path of the follower member 136 in the samemanner as has been described above in connection with the holding device117.

Figs. 32 and 33 of the drawings show still another modified door holdingmeans or device 155 which, in certain respects, is similar to the doorholding device 135 and in other respects is similar to the door holdingdevices 10, 117 and 130. The door holding device 155 resembles the doorholding device 135 in that the hinge arm 156 is capable of a gravitymovement along the hinge pin 157 of the hinge bracket 158. The doorholding device 155 resembles the door holding devices 10, 117 and 130 inthat the follower member `160 4is pressed against a plastic thrustelement 161 of the ramp member 162 by the expansive force of a preloadcompression spring 163, but this action of the spring is in addition tothe force of the gravity action on the door and hinge arm.

The spring 163 is located in a tubular spring housing 165 which ismounted in an opening of the upper ange 166 of the hinge bracket 158 andis disposed in surrounding relation to the upper portion of the hingepin 157. The spring seats against the upper edge of the hinge arm 156.

To prevent binding of the hinge arm 156 on the hinge pin 157 duringsliding of the hinge `arm on the latter, thc opening 170 of the armthrough which the hinge pin extends is an opening of variable width andwhose coneshaped portions 170a are disposed with their oppositelytapered or divergent ends extending to the top and bottom edges of thehinge arm. By reason of the variable width of the opening 170, the hingearm 156 will be capable of adapting itself to minor misalignment orirregularities in the'hanging of the door such that any binding of thearm on the hinge pin during the gravity movements of the doorwill beavoided, regardless of the existence `of such misalignment orirregularities.

The slope characteristics for the ramp member 162, and the co-operativesliding engagement of the follower member 160 thereon, are the same asare illustrated in the diagrams of Figs. 6 to 14 inclusivey and areusable in and applicable to the holding device 155 in the same manner ashas been described above for the holding devices 10, 117 and 135. Theramp member 162 shown in Figs. 32 and 33 is disposed so that the slopeorientation thereof and the path of sliding movement of the followermember 160 thereon correspond with the illustration given in Figs. 8 and1l, and the slope characteristic of the path of the follower member onthe ramp member is represented by the gradient curve 95 of Fig. 13. v

From the accompanying drawings and the foregoing detailed description itwill now be readily understood that this invention provides door holdingmeans of a simple and practical form which can be readily incorporatedin an yautomobile body in association with the door and door framestructures thereof, and which will be effective to provide asubstantially balanced condition for the door such that the door will beheld in any open position to which it is moved and left standing and theannoying tendency of the door to fall shut will be prevented, eventhough the door will still be readily capable of being moved to anyother desired position by a simple manual push or pull applied theretoby the operator. It will now also be understood that the door holdingmeans provided by this invention will be smooth, quiet and ecient inoperation and will render trouble-free service during a prolonged lifespan. Since the many novel features and advantages of the door holdingmeans of this invention have already been pointed out in the foregoingspecification, they need not be here repeated.

Although the door holding means of the present invention has beenillustrated and described herein to a somewhat detailed extent, it willbe understood, of course, lthat the invention is not to ybe regarded asbeing limited correspondingly in scope but includes all changes andmodifications coming within the terms of the claims hereof.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1.*In an automobile or the like having a door support structurecontaining a recess, and an associated door structure; hinge meansconnecting said door structure with said support structure for movementto open and closed positions by swinging about a generally upright hingeaxis; and doorholding means comprising ramp means associated with one ofsaid structures, and follower means associated with the other of saidstructures and co-operating with said ramp means; said follower meansbeing located on said other structure at a point olfset from said hingeaxis; said hinge axis and at least a Vportion of said holding meansbeing located in the recess of said support structure; said ramp meansbeing slidably engaged by said follower means and sloped so that theresistance lto relative sliding between the ramp means and followermeans is effective to hold the door structure in any open position towhich it is moved between its closed and full-open positions; said rampmeans and follower means having continuously engaged contact portionsbetweenrwhich the relative sliding takes place and at least one of whichcontact portions is a plastic material; the contact portion of said rampmeans having a flat thrust surface lying in a plane extending transverseto said hinge axis at a predetermined inclined angular relation theretoto provide the slope of said ramp means.

v2. In an automobile or the like having door holding means comprisingco-operating ramp means and follower means as defined in claim l andwherein the contact portion of said follower means is of convex shapeand the coefficient of friction for the sliding engagement between saidcontact portions is at least as great as the friction coeflicient forsliding engagement between metal and nylon.,

3. -In an automobile or the like having a door support structure and anassociated door structure; hinge means connecting said structures andproviding for movement of said door structure in opening and closingdirections by swinging about a generally upright hinge axis; said hingeaxis being inclined from the vertical at an langle such that said doorstructure has a normal tendency to fall shut; ramp means associated withyone of said structures; and follower means associated with the other ofsaid structures at a point offset from said hinge axis and co-operatingwith said ramp means; said ramp means having a thrust surface slidablyengaged by said follower means along a contact path lying wholly in a atplane; said ramp means being sloped so that the relative slidingmovement of the follower means thereon is an uphill travel duringswinging of the door structure in the closing direction; the resistanceto said relative sliding between said follower means and thrust surfaceand the sloped condition of the latter providing for a substantiallybalanced condition of said door structure and being effective tonormally hold said door structure in any open position to which it ismoved.

4. InY an automobile or the like having co-operating ramp means landfollower means as defined in claim 3 and wherein the portion of followermeans engaging said thrust surface comprises a cone-shaped contactportion `and the sliding engagement of said contact portion with saidthrust surface is a line contact only for all operating positions ofsaid follower means along said p-ath.

5. In an automobile or the like having co-operating ramp means andfollower means as dened in claim 3 and wherein the portion of said rampmeans providing said thrust surface is made of plastic and the portionof said follower means in sliding engagement with said thrust surface isa cone-shaped metal portion.

6. In an automobile or the like having a door support structure and vanassociated door structure; hinge means connecting said structures -andcomprising a hinge bracket connected with said support structure and ahinge Iarm connected with said door structure; said hinge means having ahinge axis inclined from the vertical and providingfor swinging of saiddoor structure with Ia normal tendency to fall shut; ramp means on saidhinge bracket;` and Ifollower means on said hinge arm and co-operatingwith said ramp means; said follower means being located on saidhinge armat a point offset from said hinge axis; said ramp means being slidablyengaged by said follower means during swinging of said door structure inopening and closing directions and sloped so that the relative slidingof said `follower means thereon is an uphill travel during the closingmovement of said door structure for resisting said tendency to fallshut; the resistance to relati-ve sliding between said ramp means andfollower means' providing a substantially balanced condition for saiddoor structure and being effective to normally hold said` door structurein lany open position to which it is moved; said ramp means comprising`a thrust member made of plastic material having aflexiblecharacteristic so as to be temporarily deformable to a limitedextent by the action of said follower means thereagainst.

7. In an automobile or the like'havingk co-operating ramp means andfollower means as defined in claim 6 -and wherein the plastic thrustmember of said ramp means is secured on said hinge bracket by yattachingelements formed yintegral with said thrust member, and having lockedengagement in openings of said ramp means.

8. In an automobile or the like having a support structure containing arecess, and an associated door structure; co-operating hinge membersforming a hinge 'means con'- necting said structures and comprising ahinge bracket connected with Asaid support structure and a hinge armconnected with said door structure; said hinge means hav'- ing a hingeaxis inclined from the vertical and providing for swinging of said doorstructure with a normal tendency to fall shut; said door structure andhinge arm being shiftable substantially in the direction of and alongthe hinge axis and relative to said hinge bracket; ramp means associatedwith one of said hinge members; follower means associated with the otherof said hinge members at a point offset from said hinge axis and pressedagainst said ramp means by the gravity action of said door structure;said ramp means being slidably engaged by said follower means along apath extending part-way around said hinge axis and being disposed sothat the relative sliding of said Ifollower means thereon is an uphilltravel and is also opposed by the gravity action of the door strructureduring the closing movement of the latter for resisting said tendency toyfall shut; the resistance to relative sliding between said ramp meansand follower means providing a substantially balanced condition for saiddoor structure and being effective to normally hold said door structurein any open position to which it is moved; said hinge bracket and saidramp means and said follower means being all located in the recess ofsaid hollow support structure; said ramp means having a thrust surfaceof plastic material lying in a flat plane and the portion of saidfollower means slidably engaging said thrust surface being a convexmetal contact portion whose engagement with said thrust surface is aline contact only for all operative positions of the `follower meansalong the path of the sliding engagement.

9. In an automobile or the like having co-operating ramp means and`follower means as delined in claim 8 and wherein the hinge bracket andhinge arm are pivotally connected by a hinge pin of the bracketextending through the passage of an apertured portion of the hinge arm;said passage being of tapered width along the axis of the hinge pin topermit limited tilting of said door structure substantially in its ownplane and relative to said hinge axls.

l0. In an automobile or the like having a support structure and anassociated swingable door structure; hinge means connecting said doorstructure with said support structure and having a hinge axis inclinedfrom the vertical at an angle such that said door structure has a normaltendency to fall shut; said hinge means comprising, as co-operatinghinge members, a hinge bracket connected with said support structure anda hinge arm connected with said door structure; guide opening means onone of said hinge members and providing a guide axis in an offsetrelation to said hinge axis; a ramp member on the other of said hingemembers and having a thrust surface lying in a fiat plane extending in atransverse and inclined relation to said guide axis; a `follower membermovable in said guide opening means in opposite directions along saidguide axis; said follower member having `a contact portion in engagementwith said thrust surface and slidable thereon during swinging of saiddoor structure in opening and closing directions; said `guide openingmeans and said ramp member being disposed so that the sliding movementof said contact portion on said thrust surface is an uphill slidingmovement during swinging of said door structure toward its closedposition and a downhill sliding movement during swinging of 'said doorstructure toward its full-open position; and spring means engagedbetween said one hinge member and said follower member and effective onthe latter for extending the same lfor varying distances relative tosaid guide opening means for holding said contact portion in saidsliding engagement with said thrust surface; said spring means beingsubject to loading flexure by movement of said follower member in onedirection along said guide axis, during swinging of said door structurein the closing direction, for resisting said tendency to fall shut andsubject to unloading tiexure by movement of said yfollower member in theother direction along said guide axis, during swinging of the doorstructure inthe opening direction, forassisting the 'openingmovementof'theA door structurejthe resistance to relative sliding between said con-16 tact portion and thrust surface and the action of said spring meanson said follower member providing a substantially balanced condition ofsaid door structure and being effective to normally hold said doorstructure in any open position to which it is moved.

ll. In an automobile or the like having a door support structure and an-associated door structure; co-operating hinge members providing a hingeaxis and swingably connecting said door structure with said supportstructure; said hinge members comprising a hinge bracket connected withsaid support structure and a hinge arm connected with said doorstructure; ramp means on Said hinge bracket; said hinge arm havingspaced wall portions carrying hollow guide elements providing a guideaxis located in an offset relation to said hinge axis; said ramp meanscomprising a thrust member made of plastic material and having a thrustsurface lying in a at plane extending transverse to said guide axis;follower means movable in said guide elements in opposite directionsalong said guide axis and having a convex contact portion in continuousengagement with said thrust surface; and preloaded spring means seatedagainst one of said wall portions and said follower means and effectiveagainst the latter `for pressing the contact portion thereof into saidcontinuous engagement with said thrust surface for sliding thereonduring opening and closing swinging movements of said door structure;the resistance to` sliding of said follower means on said thrust surfaceunder the action of said spring means being effective to hold said doorstructure in any open position to which it is moved.

l2. In an automobile or the like having a door support structure and an-associated door structure; co-operating hinge members providing a hingeaxis and swingably connecting said door structure with said supportstructure; said hinge members comprising a hinge bracket connected withsaid support structure and a hinge arm connected with said doorstructure; ramp means on said hinge bracket; said hinge arm havingspaced ange portions containing substantially aligned guide openingsproviding a guide axis in an offset relation to said hinge axis; afollower member movable in said guide openings in opposite directionsalong said guide 4axis and co-operating with said ramp means; and springmeans disposed between said ange portions and in surrounding relation tosaid follower member; said spring means being seated against one of saidflange portions and said follower member and effective on the latter forpressing the same against said ramp means; said follower member beingslidable on said ramp means during swinging of said door structure andsaid ramp means being sloped in an inclined relation to said guide axisso that the resistance to relative sliding between said ramp means andfollower member is effective to hold said door structure in any openposition to which it is moved.

13. AIn an automobile or the like having a support structure and yanassociated' door structure swingable in opposite directions duringopening and closing movements of the latter; hinge means connecting saiddoor structure with said support structure for such swinging and havinga hinge axis inclined from the vertical at an angle such thatsaid doorstructure has a normal tendency to swing in a given direction; saidhinge means comprising a hinge bracket connected with said supportstructure and a hinge yarm connected with said door structure; rampmeans on said hinge bracket; said hinge arm having wall portionsarcuately movable relative to said "ramp means and spaced apart in thegeneral direction in which said hinge axis extends; hollow guideelements onsaid wall portions and providing a guide axis substantiallyparallel to said hinge axis and odset therefrom; a plunger movable insaid guide elements; said ramp means coinprising a plate portion havinga thrust surface of'plastic material lyingin a at plane extendingtransverse to said guide axis in a non-perpendicular relation thereto;Asaid

